Sunday, 28 September 2014

Car of the month Sept 2014 - Triumph Stag

In 1970, Triumph gave the sporting
family man the chance to feel the wind in what was left of his hair while his
kids created havoc on the back seats. The Michelotti-designed car was equipped
with a 3.0-litre V8 engine that developed a reputation for unreliability, with
some owners resorting to fitting a Rover V8 unit in its place.

This conversion is now frowned upon,
and to get yourself accepted in Stag circles you'll need an original-engined
car rather like this one at Spring Garage, in Leicestershire.

With two owners from new and just
under 46,000 miles on the clock, this car looks great and drives brilliantly.
The recent respray was carried out when the Carmine Red paint faded, but the
panels beneath are original and unwelded.

Inside, the brown vinyl seats and
trim are excellent and the multitude of dials and switches work as they should.
Of particular interest here, given the engine's notorious reputation for
overheating, is the temperature gauge - which remains steady in all driving
conditions.

- Ben Field

Envisioned as a luxury sports car, the Triumph Stag was designed to compete directly with the Mercedes-Benz SL class models. All Stags were four-seater convertible coupés, but for structural rigidity – and to meet new American rollover standards of the time – the Stag required a B-pillar "roll bar" hoop connected to the windscreen frame by a T-bar. A removable hardtop was a popular factory option for the early Stags, and was later supplied as a standard fitment.

Pic from Wikipedia

PERFORMANCE

Automatic gearbox mutes of-the-line
acceleration, but torguey engine delivers plenty of mid-range power once on the
move.

HANDLING

Comfortable ride. A little body roll
in the corners, but this is more of a tourerthan an out-and-out performance
vehicle. Brakes a bit spongy.